Things To See and Do

Patriachs Wildlife Sanctuary

Patriachs Wildlife Sanctuary: is the island’s only wildlife sanctuary. It is home to wallabies, wombats, possums and a variety of birds, including the native Cape Barren Goose (see picture bottom left). Kids can pat the friendly wildlife and feed them straight from the hand.

Trouser Point

Trousers Point is the most popular beach on Flinders Island. It’s the one place you can be guaranteed to find a bbq that is sheltered from the notorious roaring forties.

Palana Beach

Palana Beach is the most northern beach on Flinders Island and is a popular holiday destination for both locals and visitors. Enjoy the soft rolling waves, bbq facilities, and golden sand.

Killecrankie Bay

Killiecrankie Bay is famous for its topaz crystals (referred to as Killiecrankie diamonds), which can be found at Diamond Gully in crevices between rocks and by sieving the beach sand. This little haven is also perfect for a picnic and romantic stroll along the beach.

Mt Strzelecki

About a third of the island is mountainous and rugged with ridges of granite running the length of the island. Mt Strzelecki, the island’s tallest mountain, stands 800 metres above sea level and is a great challenge for walkers of all fitness levels.

East Coast

Camerons Inlet and the East Coast: this is the nearest beach to Echo Hills and stretches for miles in either direction. It is also renowned for its surf fishing; locals often catch shark and flathead right off the shore. So grab a rod, and have a go.

History and Heritage

Naming The Island

Flinders Island was named on 8th January 1799 by British navigator and explorer, Matthew Flinders. The name was given not to honour Flinders himself, as is commonly believed, but his younger brother, Samuel Flinders, 2nd Lieut., Investigator.

Wybalenna

Flinders Island is steeped in Aboriginal history and few places in Tasmania have greater significance than Wybelenna. Behind Settlement Point lie the remains of Wybaleena, or Black Man’s Houses, established in 1832, as a place to put Tasmania’s aborigines that had been rounded up after the Black Wars of the 1830s. Here an unsuccessful attempt was made to Europeanise mainland Tasmanians; they were trained to speak English and eat western food. Naturally most died. Wybalenna Chapel is the oldest building on the island and has an indigenous graveyard only metres from the chapel wherev the poor sould who died here were laid to rest.

Flinders Island Trail

Back in the early seventies an ambitious project created the Flinders Trail running south to north of the island. The Trail included opportunities for horse riding, walking and four wheel driving. While the trail still exists some part are a challenge and need upgrading. Efforts are underway to bring the Trail back as a great outdoor experience and create another unique Flinders Island walk.
The Trail winds its way from the Strzelecki National Park to the North East River and provides the visitor with great walks across mountain ranges and along coastal beaches that include a variety of bird and animal life as well as different vegetation types. There are opportunities to stop off and study the history or find a Killiecrankie Diamond or do a spot of fishing. Flinders Trail can be divided into five sections linked to accommodation at Lady Barron, Whitemark Emita, Killiecrankie and Palana.